Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As renowned experts on oppressive governments, Masha Gessen & Jason Stanley so clearly see where the U.S. is headed. In this conversation with Laura Flanders, the two expose the weaponization of antisemitism and attacks against DEI, trans bodies, civil rights, higher education and more. Is authoritarianism far off, or closer than we think?
#Authoritarianism #Politics #Government
As renowned experts on oppressive governments, Masha Gessen & Jason Stanley so clearly see where the U.S. is headed. In this conversation with Laura Flanders, the two expose the weaponization of antisemitism and attacks against DEI, trans bodies, civil rights, higher education and more. Is authoritarianism far off, or closer than we think?
#Authoritarianism #Politics #Government
![Mamdani is changing the world. And thats why the mainstream media is going after him. [EXCERPT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l5_KeQwLE-Q/mqdefault.jpg "Mamdani is changing the world. And thats why the mainstream media is going after him. [EXCERPT]
This conversation with guests from Epicenter NYC, In These Times and The Arab American News is an excerpt from our episode Mamdani v. The Establishment: What His Campaign Means for America. Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/xl5K-Qkf7Vk. This episode first aired October 2025.
Wherever you are in the county, you’ve probably heard the name “Zohran Mamdani”. New York City’s mayoral race is a national story, and it’s hard to overstate the significance of the leading candidate in this moment. If elected, Mamdani would become the first Muslim-American and only the second Democratic Socialist Mayor of the largest city in the U.S. His victory, on a promise to make New York affordable for working people, would have implications for politics everywhere. The race is already garnering both excitement and anxiety. President Trump is threatening to withhold federal funding for New York City if Mamdani wins. From Chicago to Dearborn, Michigan, journalists are watching. In this installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, Laura Flanders speaks with Felipe De La Hoz, investigative immigration and policy reporter whose work has been featured in The Intercept, The Washington Post, New York Mag and The Nation; Osama Siblani, publisher and founder of The Arab American News, the largest Arab American newspaper in the U.S., and Asha Ransby-Sporn, organizer and writer for In These Times and co-founder of Black Youth Project 100, where she led the groups national organizing program. Join us as we explore what a Mamdani victory would signal for the nation.
“. . . Theres this sense that [Left-leaning candidates] have to essentially be apologizing for their policy prescriptions and their stances. Mamdani has not done that . . . For the most part, he very much embraces who he is and what his policy prescriptions are.” - Felipe De La Hoz
“More so than I am concerned with Black people being pulled to the Right or being pulled in by Trump . . . I think what we see are people who are disengaged and feel like our political system isnt going to deliver for them at all. Who feel let down by the establishment Democratic party that has sold all of us out for decades, and Black people have borne an enormous amount of the brunt of that impact.” - Asha Ransby-Sporn
“I hate giving labels. I dont look at Mandani as a progressive. I look at him as representing the anger and anguish of people who have been left behind with the political apparatus.” - Osama Siblani
GUESTS:
Felipe De La Hoz: Immigration & Policy Reporter, Epicenter NYC
Asha Ransby-Sporn: Writer & Political Strategist; Columnist, In These Times
Osama Siblani: Publisher, The Arab American News
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CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Video Editor: Veronica Delgado
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Thumbnail photo by Zohran for NYC.")
![Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model [EXCERPT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mAwALkZIvcE/mqdefault.jpg "Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model [EXCERPT]
This conversation is an excerpt from our episode Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model. Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/6XbcRQwxim8. This episode first aired September 2020.")
